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Smart Eco Cities

Europe and China both face the challenges of climate change and associated environmental degradation, and of finding ways in which to promote economic transition away from carbon-intensive economic and consumption patterns. A promising approach focuses on treating new and existing CITIES as 'experimental areas' where more sustainable configurations can be trialed. Eco-cities and smart cities have been proposed as 'socio-technical experiments' which are potential drivers for local, national and international environmental socio-economic change and transition. Many of these projects combine elements of eco-city planning (focusing on the visible 'hardware' of environmental sustainability: planning, architecture, renewable energy and smart grid technologies, etc.), with 'smart city' planning (focusing on 'software': information systems, social capital, knowledge transfer, etc.). We will analyze ‘smart eco city’ initiatives which experiment with environmental and economic reforms in both areas which are spatially proximate (e.g. city regions) and in an international context (through networks of knowledge, technology and policy transfer and learning).

 
The aim of the project is to provide the first systematic comparative analysis of eco-city projects in China and Europe. This will inform the identification of opportunities and pathways for shaping national and collaborative international urban and economic policy responses, engaging the state, the business sector and communities in delivering 'smart eco-city' projects that can promote sustainable development.
 
The research addresses key issues: a.) how have experimental cities in Europe and China fared in terms of achieving their developmental objectives since 2000?; b.) how to evaluate success in smart eco-city initiatives; c.) what are the main obstacles to successful projects?; d.) what generalizable lessons can be drawn from successful smart eco-cities, in socio-economic and policy terms?; e.) how can knowledge effectively be shared across the context of European and Chinese urban-economic policymaking for smart eco-cities?
 
In order to address these crucial issues, an international team will carry out interdisciplinary multi-method research including a total of eight in-depth smart eco-city case studies in China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France.
 
Research period: 4/2015 - 3/2018
 
Research partners: (each funded by a national funding agency)
 
  • Univ. of Exeter, Westminster, Kings College London (GB) – Federico Caprotti et al. 
  • University-Nottingham-Ningbo-China (China) – May Tan Mullins et al. 
  • Utrecht University (NL) - Rob Raven et al.
  • University of Toulouse (F) – Eric Jolivet et al. 
  • Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg (D) – Philipp Späth et al. 

 

Contact:
PD Dr. Philipp Späth
Principal Investigator DFG-Projekt SP 1545/1-1
Sustainability Governance, Institut für Umweltsozialwissenschaften und Geographie